Bebe Liang out of Golden West

Someone on the SkateFans list said she's withdrawn due to a "minor hip injury". Exactly how "minor" is anyone's guess. And if she wants to go to Nationals she HAS to skate in the GP, so I hope her injury does heal fully before she has to endure that grind.

Once again, another talented skater out because of the demand for more 3/3 and quad jumps. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Anka - Shame on you. BeBe is a Sasha wannabe. Total bravura style of skating. I'm hoping the hip problem is no worse than Sasha's was back in 2001. I actually see Bebe winning in 2006,

All these problems seem to be on the back outside edge. It's the edge skaters land on from almost every jump. And combing that with the loop jump which takes off with a back outside edge just complicates the injury all the more. Tara could explain that better than me but I can feel it.

Why girls and not boys? Who knows. Yags was genetic so it was bound to happen anyway at some time.

I'm really floored with this news. I was so looking forward to her Nats and GPs.

Bebe Liang

Joe ... I can't say this surprises me ... all these 3/3's at such young ages, before their bodies have had a chance to develop ... especially the loop jumps as you stated.
I do feel badly and hope it's not serious ... I was looking forward to seeing her this year.

I also read that her coach Tiffany Chin is pregnant and due in February.

Its very simple. Joints do not fully develop and growth plates in bones (epiphyses) do not close until post adolescence, often well past. (I didn't reach my current height until age 22). If you put constant and repetitive stress on a joint, such as doing too many triples at a young age a la Tara, you are going to pay for it later.

Many criticize Michelle Kwan for not "upping the ante" and gaining more difficult 3/3's, but she's been around, consistent and relatively injury free for many years (aside from the toe in 98), and she has gotten one heck of a skating record out of it. I still shiver when I think of reading Tara's quote in a supermarket publication that it was her repetitive practice of the triple loop/triple loop that cause her continuous hip problems but in her words "it was worth it." Let's see how shiny that OGM is for her when she has trouble with even walking when she reaches her forties. I don't mean to sound cruel, but she's likely going to pay for it as she gets older.

Maxell, why does Bebe have to skate in the Grand Prix to be eligible for Nationals? Can't she qualify in sectionals and regionals like everyone else?

Are the top skaters from last year automatically seeded? I assume, for instance, that Michelle could just show up at the door and say, let me in, even if she doesn't compete at all from now until January. Is this right?

Bebe is reaching the age when her body mass is beginning to stress her landing leg. It's only a matter of time before pint-size jumping beans start feeling the impact on their joints. How many years has it been since Tara? You'd think the coaches and parents would get it by now.

Originally posted by Mathman Maxell, why does Bebe have to skate in the Grand Prix to be eligible for Nationals? Can't she qualify in sectionals and regionals like everyone else?

Are the top skaters from last year automatically seeded? I assume, for instance, that Michelle could just show up at the door and say, let me in, even if she doesn't compete at all from now until January. Is this right?

Mathman

According to someone at FSU, Bebe's GP events will conflict with sectionals and regionals, so that's why the USFSA is giving her a bye to Nationals. Her GP competitions will get her out of sectionals and regionals. They've also got a new rule that they won't give someone an automatic injury bye to Nats anymore. So if Bebe can't skate in the GP due to injury, it would also mean she can't skate in sectionals and regionals. Therefore, her season is finished before it even started.

As far as everyone else, the top 6 finishers at Nats will get a bye straight to Nats without having to qualify. Everyone else must have a reason for the USFSA to let them skip straight to Nats, and as Bebe got 2 international assignments (3 if she makes the GP Finals) she gets to pass go and collect $200.

I think the USFSA website has a list of all the bye skaters listed somewhere.

Originally posted by Yazmeen Its very simple. Joints do not fully develop and growth plates in bones (epiphyses) do not close until post adolescence, often well past. (I didn't reach my current height until age 22). If you put constant and repetitive stress on a joint, such as doing too many triples at a young age a la Tara, you are going to pay for it later.

Many criticize Michelle Kwan for not "upping the ante" and gaining more difficult 3/3's, but she's been around, consistent and relatively injury free for many years (aside from the toe in 98), and she has gotten one heck of a skating record out of it. I still shiver when I think of reading Tara's quote in a supermarket publication that it was her repetitive practice of the triple loop/triple loop that cause her continuous hip problems but in her words "it was worth it." Let's see how shiny that OGM is for her when she has trouble with even walking when she reaches her forties. I don't mean to sound cruel, but she's likely going to pay for it as she gets older.

You know I still wonder if she really still believes it was worth it because it certainly didn't get her what she wanted. I truly think she thought that she would be the popular one and we all know it didn't happen. For 2 years after her win she was a semi popular skater (not of gold caliber) but that faded fast and she also lost her ability to do the things that garnered her fans in the first place (triple jumps).